We now have Quarter 4 H1B visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 PERM visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 H2A visa FY 2023 data.
Employer Search tool is moved to it's own page: "H1B Visa Data Search Tool"

California Foreign Labor Visa Stats (All Years)

Total Visas	% of all Visas	Average Wage	Visa Type
1,236,055	87.25%	$104,510	H-1B
144,051	10.17%	$144,477	PERM
30,331	2.14%	$109,456	E-3 Australian
6,165	0.44%	$31,590	H-2A

As of May 2023, California has seen a total of 1,416,602 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in California is the H-1B visa with 1,236,055 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 87.25% of California's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 144,051 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 10.17% of California's total visas.

Top Occupations in California (All Years)

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Credit Counselors	65	$37,159	82.28%
Museum Technicians and Conservators	65	$54,687	84.42%
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	65	$97,731	85.53%
Microsystems Engineers	65	$128,563	85.53%
Surgeons	65	$165,492	87.84%
Civil Engineering Technicians	64	$54,242	86.49%
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary	64	$61,738	86.49%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	64	$46,325	86.49%
Set and Exhibit Designers	64	$48,157	87.67%
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary	63	$66,662	86.30%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Rehabilitation Counselors	13	$32,142	15.66%
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	12	$69,436	14.63%
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	12	$59,814	14.63%
Librarians	12	$59,299	14.63%
Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other	12	$74,890	14.63%
Robotics Engineers	12	$111,580	14.81%
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	12	$54,365	14.81%
Writers and Authors	12	$82,072	15.00%
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	12	$98,028	15.00%
Social and Human Service Assistants	11	$30,623	13.75%

California Employees Over Time

California has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 50,870 employees were hired. California peaked in 2018 with 106,682 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 18,356 in 2025.

Top Countries with Workers in California From PERM Program (All Years)

Country	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
India	45,730	$175,901	47.43%
China	16,844	$109,259	50.79%
South Korea	4,340	$147,936	41.14%
Canada	3,905	$143,888	46.41%
Philippines	1,927	$470,682	35.63%
Taiwan	1,908	$260,805	44.94%
Mexico	1,361	$87,276	34.68%
United Kingdom	967	$111,850	44.71%
Japan	844	$231,744	40.04%
France	821	$108,315	46.73%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Nokia Solutions And Networks Us Llc	28	$103,906	87.50%
Acropetal Inc	28	$70,969	87.50%
Cybervision Inc	28	$70,278	87.50%
Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc	28	$70,962	87.50%
Jm Information Systems Llc	28	$69,461	87.50%
Lmk Infotech	28	$103,542	87.50%
Sriven Technologies Llc	28	$84,611	87.50%
Industrial Light Magic A Div Of Lucasfilm Enter	28	$82,681	87.50%
Emulex Design And Manufacturing Corporation	28	$94,502	87.50%
Key Solutions Inc	28	$76,905	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Better Horizons Development Corporation	2	$35,412	33.33%
Fotokem Industries	2	$89,118	33.33%
Ttm Intertrading Co Inc	2	$67,819	33.33%
Barbaras At The Brewery	2	$35,547	33.33%
Greenbergfarrow	2	$83,782	33.33%
Interactive Data Managed Solutions Llc	2	$86,382	33.33%
Elliott Laboratories Llc	2	$69,982	33.33%
Royale Home Health Care Inc	2	$62,723	33.33%
Analytic Investors	2	$85,083	33.33%
Cal Family Health Inc	2	$116,678	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Tax Preparation Services	394	$64,777	87.17%
Activities Related To Credit Intermediation	393	$145,954	87.72%
All Other Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing	393	$122,529	87.72%
Industrial Machinery And Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	390	$93,659	88.64%
Electrical Contractors And Other Wiring Installation Contractors	389	$89,300	88.81%
Other Financial Vehicles	389	$110,851	89.02%
Professional Employer Organizations	388	$109,380	89.40%
Automobile And Other Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	381	$79,434	87.79%
Insurance Carriers	377	$95,344	87.07%
Other Individual And Family Services	371	$60,389	85.68%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Household Appliances Electric Housewares And Consumer Electronics Merchant Wholesalers	141	$85,548	99.30%
Instrument Manufacturing For Measuring And Testing Electricity And Electrical Signals	140	$106,731	98.59%
General Freight Trucking Local	138	$60,698	97.87%
Landscaping Services	138	$839,547	98.57%
Wineries	137	$90,195	99.28%
Sporting And Recreational Goods And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	132	$65,981	95.65%
Other Specialized Design Services	129	$72,005	94.16%
Piece Goods Notions And Other Dry Goods Merchant Wholesalers	129	$69,066	97.73%
Residential Intellectual And Developmental Disability Facilities	129	$35,909	100.00%
Real Estate Credit	126	$74,040	97.67%

California Wage Comparison to Other States (All Years)

The chart below compares The average wage in California to that of the other top 9 states with the highest overall average H1-B wage. The average wage in California over all years is $104,510. California has the highest average wage of H1-B workers for all states, with the second highest average wage being WA with an average wage of $103,635.